Wesley young



(No Model.)

D. W. NGRRIS 8v W. YOUNG.

WIRE srRETGHING MAGHINE. No. 288,359. l Patented Nov. 13, 1883.

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" taken on the line x x, Fig.l 1.

` UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE, j

`DANInnw. nNoIlnus, or. ELGIN, ILLINoIs, Ann WESLEY YOUNG, on DAYTON,

` OHIO; SAID NORRIS ASSIGNOR TO SAID YOUNG.

,WIRE-STRETCHl-Ne MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION farming part ef Letters Patent No. 288,359, dated November 13, 1883.

` .l nvpncationfneu April 23,1883. (Na model.)

Beit known that we, DANIEL WV. NQRRIS, of Elgin, `in` the county of Kane 'and State' of Illinois, and VESLYVYOWG, of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain` new and useful Improvements in Wire-Stretching Machines for Fence-Building, and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the drawings forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference ,markedthereon j This invention relates to that class of machin'es which are employed in the construction of post and Wire fences andwired hedgefences, `for the purpose of stretching thewire preparatory to its being fastened to the posts I or plants, as the case may be,4 `and it consists in certain novel improvements, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingY drawings, Figure l represents a side view of our improved machine; Fig. 2, a detail viewof one of the wiregrippers; and Fig. 3, a cross-sectional yiew Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

A represents the base `of the frame or body ofthe machine, I consisting, preferably, of a timber or timbers of sufficient width to main- .tain the frame in an upright position,-and

preferably beveled or rounded off at its ends, as shown, so as* to enable the machine to be readily drawn over the ground in either direction, after the manner of a sled.

At or near the forward end of `the base A is mounted and secured an upright or standard,

"B, and at or near the rear end is secured a short standard, C, said two standards being preferably connected by a horizontal bar or timber, D, as shown.

Extending diagonally from standard B to `standard C is a bar Lfor timber, E, whichserves `as a brace to give` strength to the frame, and `also asa support for the coils F of wire, said coils being as many innurnber as the number f of wires used in the construction of the fence.

Secured to the standard `B are a series 4`of wirestretchers, G-one for each ofthe Wiresfproceeding from the coils F. These stretchers or frame, r, of a gripper.

frame has a fixed abutment or projection, s,

maybe of any suitable constructiomand are preferably capable of vertical adjustment upon the standard B, sothat `the wires can be held at any desired` distance apart and stretched or drawn taut in their adjusted positions.

The stretchers which I have shown in the drawings each consist of a drum (shown in dotted lines, Fig. l) mounted upon a shaft, i, which is supported in endplatesgy', that are in turn connected to the standadB by a rope or wire, k, passing around said standard and enfgaging between pins Z Z or in notches m in the rear side thereof, as shown. The shaft i of the stretcher, oncne of its ends, bears a turning crank or handle, o, and a ratchet, a, the latter engaging with a suitable pawl, p, which permits the rotation of the crank in one directiononly.

q is a cord or chain secured at one end to the winding-drum and at the other to the plate and a circular disk, t, which may or may not be corrugated or roughened, mounted eccen-` trically upon a pivot, u, and caused to bear normally against the abutment s by the force of a spring, c, arranged within it, as shown. When the wire to be stretched, having been fed from one of the coils F and fastened at its 4end to some fixed object, is inserted lbetween the jaws ofthe gripper formed by the abutment s and the eccentric-disk t, and the crank then turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, the grip of the jaws on the wire will be tightened, and the latter` will be drawn and stretched to therequisite degree, and may then be secured to the posts or plants, as the case may be, by staples driven into`said posts or plants astride the wire, or in any other suitable manner. All of the wires may be held under tensionat once by operating all 'the stretchers together or successively.

When the wires are being putunder tension,there is of course considerable forward` draft upon the machine, and it becomes necessary to anchor it firmly in position, both to prevent it from being drawn along longitudiynally and from tipping over on its side. -As a means for eifecting these objects we preferto employ a cross bolt .or shaftpw, passing through the horizontal bar or timber Dand The gripper plate or IOO e essere carrying at one end an operating-crank, z, and having its opposite end screw-threaded and passed through a bar, y, having a screw-threaded perforation. In fixing the machine in position the bar y is passed in a substantially vertical position to the other side of the permanentposts, if the fence be an ordinary post and wire fence, or between and to the other side of two plants or canes if the fence be ahedgefence, and then turned down andthe crank screwed up so as to clamp the post or one or more of the plants, as the case may be, between bar D and bar 1 andthus hold the niachine firmly in an upright position and against longitudinalmovement. Afterthe wiresliave been secured the crank can be loosened, and the bar y can be turned up so as to be withdrawn from behind the post or from between the plants, and the machine can then be advanced along the line of the fence andresecured in like manner as before.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as newl. rllhe combination, with the portable frame, of a ser-ics of wire-stretchers and means, substantially as described, for vertically adjusting and securing said wire-stretchers upon said `frame, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with theportable frame, of a series 0f coils of wire mounted thereon, a series of wire-strctchers-onc for cach lino stretchers upon the frame, as set forth.

3. The portable sliding frame, consisting of 35 the base-piece or runner, the vertical standards and the horizontal and diagonal connectin g-bars, with the series ofcoils of wire mounted on the diagonal bar, and the series of stretchers vertically adjustable upon the forward standard, substantially as described.

Il. `The combination, with the portable sliding frame carrying the coils of wire and the stretchers, of a lateral arm or shaft for engaging the posts or plants to hold the frame from longitudinal movement, substantially as described.

5. The'combi nation, with the portable sliding frame carrying the coils of wire and the stretchers, of the laterally-projecting arm or shaft, and the movable bar on said arm or shaft, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the portable sliding frame carrying1 the coils of wire and the stretchers, of the laterally-projecting arm or shaft carrying the movable bar and the crank or handle, substantially as' described.

. DANIEL W. NORRIS.

XVESLEY YOUNG. Vitnesscs:

XVM. H. YOUNG, Crus. M. WnTZnL. 

